If My Heart Was A House (You'd Be Home)
by imaginarydaydreams
Summary: Pairing: Saeran x MC; waking up next to the one he loves has never made his heart soar like it did now. (Slight spoilers for Ray Route.)


They say that a house becomes a home after a certain criteria is met.

 **1.** When the presence of tender affection creates a safe haven from the outside world; a world for just the two of you to just be yourselves without any worry about repercussions.

 **2.** When even the darkest of nights can no longer creep in slowly to poison the sweet memories made in secret spaces behind closed walls.

And last but certainly not least,

 **3.** When there's someone who has become your entire universe—the stars, the sky, the entire freaking galaxy—is there awaiting your return. A wide smile plastered on their ever-patient face as they greet you by the doorway. Placing gentle, soft kisses here and there and planting a garden of lipstick marks across your already reddened cheeks, making your heart swell, not only with love and adoration, but a fulfillment you thought you would never feel in your entire lifetime.

The last criteria, perhaps, was once a thing Saeran Choi could have never even dreamed of.

After all, for most of his life, there was only one absolute: to be nothing less than useful to ensure that his most precious people stay by his side. He had known too many betrayals. From his brother, V…and later, his one and only "savior"—Would it even be appropriate to call her that? She _had_ ruined his entire life and turned him against those that he once wholeheartedly loved—Rika. Frankly, there was only so much that his already fragile heart and mind could handle.

It was only when he met you that Saeran dared to dream beyond what he knew. He dreamed of a single moment with you by his side, wishing for even a fraction of your affection. Hell, he would have even settled for last in your heart if it meant that you gave him at least one second of your precious time.

Only when he began to think that he would receive not only your heart but your everything did he start to believe that perhaps God had heard his desperate prayers for companionship. For someone to help—not save, _help_ —him through the loneliness and misplaced hatred enough for him to return to the shreds of innocence that were robbed from him oh so long ago.

From fully trusting him and willingly coming to Magenta, to your unwavering determination through those eleven days, he found himself falling more and more in love with you with each passing moment. Even when he treated you dismally while under the elixir's influence, you held your head high and shouldered on, bringing him slowly but surely back to himself. You even went above and beyond, not only forgiving him but vowing to love and cherish him eternally. Although he would never be sure how or why, or even if you truly forgave him, it was something that he would always be forever grateful towards nonetheless.

Yet, ever since your escape from Mint Eye; finding his twin brother; and finally, _finally_ settling into what could be considered a "normal life," Saeran could never shake the feeling that perhaps he had finally cracked, dreaming up some grand delusion where he'd finally get the life he always prayed for.

That one day, he would wake up and be back in that hellish computer room, surrounded by monitors, alone once again without you by his side.

He still thought he was in the middle of a cruel lie when he woke up next to you one morning.

The sparse rays of sunlight streamed through the curtains, bathing everything in the room—the bed, the night stand, the myriad of flowers decorating the room—in a gentle light, the soft hues reminiscent of delicate watercolors upon a canvas. Everything was peaceful, quiet, in a state of tranquility that could only be achieved in the wee hours of dawn right before sunrise.

It was a foreign feeling. Previously, his days were filled with nothing but the rapid fire clicks of fingers frantically hammering away at the keyboard, the threat of being drugged beyond all hell—or even worse, being forbade to see you for the day—looming over his head. It drove him above and beyond his limits, or even the limits of what a normal human should and could endure. And it was this feeling that caused anxiety to race violently through his veins for a split second, almost rocketing out of the bed while chanting, _'Oh god, I fell asleep at my desk again the Savior is going to kill me, or worse, MC will have to take punishments because I'm an idiot ah stupid stupid airhead I'm so—'_

However, the soft presence next to him snapped him out of his brief stupor.

You were still in a deep slumber beside him, hair splayed all over the covers and face nuzzled into the pillows. Your arm was draped lazily over his frame; at his slightest movement, your grip on him grew a little stronger, pulled him slightly closer, as you most likely relished the heat that his body provided against the cool morning air.

But what stuck out to him the most was that graceful smile that adorned your face, even in sleep. It was hidden slightly beneath the pillows, but he could make out the barest trace of your upturned lips, the faint blush coloring your cheeks giving you the ethereal glow of an angel. It was so serene, so sweet, that he felt his heart soar just at the sight of it.

This was…reality. The fact that you were right here, right next to him, like this…it wasn't a dream. This was real, you were real, all of the feelings between you two, a future with you, they were all…real.

Not a dream nor a delusion at all.

Saeran couldn't stop himself, nor particularly wanted to, from leaning down and brushing the hair away from your eyes, lingering for a moment to take in the scent of your sweet shampoo, before pressing a soft kiss to your temple. It was chaste—you weren't even awake for it, but that single kiss conveyed all the emotions that tended to slip off his tongue whenever he tried to voice them.

 **"I adore you."**

 **"You're my angel."**

 **"I thank God every day for bringing you to my side."**

 **"Thank you for loving me, my dear MC, I truly love you to the ends of the earth. Forever and always."**

Your nose only scrunched up in reply. You muttered some incoherent nonsense before snuggling up next to him, burying your head into his side and sighing contentedly at the warmth he gave off. He could have sworn his heart did a flip or two at your little actions; you truly were too adorable for the world. A hand reached up to run through your locks as he settled back under the covers, his gaze never leaving your sleeping form. Immediately, you latched onto him, moving your head to nestle into the crook of his neck, your soft breaths tickling his skin.

Honestly he wouldn't have it any other way.

The last thought that passed through his mind before rest overtook him once more was a simple one. It was a simple phrase spoken in the silence, but to him, it meant the world.

 **"Thank you, my flower…for showing me what it feels like to be home."**


End file.
